Politics is often a matter of perspective. When Massachusetts senator John Kerry was the Democratic candidate for president four years ago, running against incumbent George W. Bush, the Republicans portrayed him as a left-wing liberal. These days, Kerry’s opponent in the Democratic primary, Gloucester lawyer Ed O’Reilly, is charging that Kerry is not progressive enough. Only in Massachusetts could John Kerry be attacked for being a dangerous centrist.

The O’Reilly campaign has three principal prongs of attack: Kerry is too aloof (it is not exactly news that the state’s junior senator is not a regular at the Eire Pub); Kerry was wrong to vote in favor of the Iraq War (this is something that Kerry has clearly acknowledged, as have other progressives, such as Senators Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Joe Biden of Delaware, the latter of whom — if you haven’t noticed — holds the number-two spot on Senator Barack Obama’s anti-war ticket); and Kerry is wrong about same-sex marriage (bingo, a direct hit on that issue).

O’Reilly also contends that Kerry has not done enough to promote universal health care, which is a tremendously complex issue. There is no doubt that more Americans need to be insured. Our current state of affairs is a national disgrace. But at a time when the country’s finances are in crisis, thanks to the punishing cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the irresponsible regulatory and budgeting policies of the Bush administration, and the craven and short-sighted behavior of the banking and finance industries, candidates like O’Reilly dodge an important question: how are we going to pay for it? O’Reilly is not the only figure in public life to have a less-than-adequate answer. More experienced public figures, including Senators Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy, not to mention Obama, have failed to develop truly convincing plans to fund national health care.

Truth be told, O’Reilly’s is a soreheaded candidacy. He is backed by a coalition of principled progressives who truly are to the left of Kerry. But that core is supplemented by a band of Clinton supporters still angry that Kerry chose to support Obama over their woman, pro-Palestinian environmentalists whose grip on reality is at best tenuous, and people who for one reason or another just don’t like Kerry. Well, good for them. Viva democracy. If the O’Reilly campaign serves no other purpose than to hold Kerry’s feet to the fire for his unfortunate stance against full marriage rights for same-sex couples, then it has performed a public service.

John Kerry, once again, deserves the Democratic Party’s nomination. Kerry’s experience is just too strong to be discounted. His experience in national and international affairs is unmatched in Massachusetts by anyone other than his senior Senate colleague, Ted Kennedy.

As Democrats and Independents go to the polls next Tuesday to participate in the statewide primary, the Boston Phoenix strongly recommends a vote for Kerry.

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